Comments on: Top 10 Bluegrass Albums of 2010http://www.engine145.com/top-10-bluegrass-albums-of-2010/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=top-10-bluegrass-albums-of-2010
A Roots Music PublicationMon, 29 Dec 2014 01:36:34 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1By: Olliehttp://www.engine145.com/top-10-bluegrass-albums-of-2010/#comment-413569
Mon, 03 Jan 2011 05:50:12 +0000http://www.the9513.com/?p=14329#comment-413569Jim- I’m curious. Why do you feel that the Americana community has actively disassociated itself from the term “country music.” My sense is that while many Americana artists are not huge fans of a lot of the music currently being played on top 40 commercial country radio stations, almost all of the Americana artists I can think of (with the possible exception of Ryan Bingham) think of themselves as country artists as the term has historically been defined– in particular, I’m thinking of Americana stalwarts such as Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, and numerous others.
]]>By: The 50 Best Country Songs of 2010 | American Twanghttp://www.engine145.com/top-10-bluegrass-albums-of-2010/#comment-413568
Fri, 31 Dec 2010 17:05:30 +0000http://www.the9513.com/?p=14329#comment-413568[…] Twang] The Best Country Music of 2010 [PopMatters] The Best Country Songs of 2010 [The 9513] Top 10 Bluegrass Albums of 2010 [The 9513] The 10 Best Country Singles of 2010 [Country Universe] 20 Hidden Treasures of 2010 [My […]
]]>By: luckyoldsunhttp://www.engine145.com/top-10-bluegrass-albums-of-2010/#comment-413567
Fri, 31 Dec 2010 04:34:33 +0000http://www.the9513.com/?p=14329#comment-413567I like the idea that there’s an obsessive character out there who will read your posts and analyze and critique them–for free! It’s like having a TA on call. I never would have figured that a real songwriter would do that, but all the better!
]]>By: Paul W Dennishttp://www.engine145.com/top-10-bluegrass-albums-of-2010/#comment-413566
Fri, 31 Dec 2010 04:00:55 +0000http://www.the9513.com/?p=14329#comment-413566Jim – I agree with you completely. Jon is a pendant, and an intellectually dishonest one at that, given his frequent selective and edited quotes. Interestingly enough, he appears to be a coward as well, as when you catch him in an error on a thread, he comments no further on that particular thread

I don’t know personally know Jon, but I know he has had a modicum of success as a songwriter. I buy a lot of bluegrass albums, but when I run across his name as a songwriter on an album, then I skip purchasing the album. It probably only costs Jon two cents worth of royalties per album, but it’s MY two cents worth

]]>By: Jim Malechttp://www.engine145.com/top-10-bluegrass-albums-of-2010/#comment-413565
Fri, 31 Dec 2010 01:26:04 +0000http://www.the9513.com/?p=14329#comment-413565Jon, I respect your skill as a debater. What I do not respect is the way you infer things from statements and then restate those inferences as facts in order to strengthen your own argument. I think it’s very deceptive.

I refuse to defend positions that I didn’t take, or statements that I didn’t make.

It’s all very well to pontificate about your musical acumen and the exalted role of the critic when you’re dealing with people who can’t challenge you with anything more meaningful than “u r so wrong!!!,” but if you can’t dish up any better reasons for your opinions than that yourself, your prospects aren’t very bright.

I really wish you’d just get over that. I don’t go around “pontificating about my musical acumen and the exalted role of the critic.” There are a handful of instances–maybe three of four–on which I’ve written casually in blog comments about what I believe the role of the critic to be, and had I known that those comments were going to get thrown back in my face and used as a base from which to criticize my entire body of work I most certainly would have chosen my words more carefully.

To the last part of your post: I don’t feel any obligation to explain my opinions to you on demand. I “dish up any better reasons for my opinions” than “u r so wrong” every time I write a review and attach my name to it. I refuse to “dish up better reasons for my opinion” in this case for a number of reasons, but the primary one is that you’re an impossible person to argue with. I feel absolutely certain that you will dissect and attack anything I might say about Antifogmatic and the difference between the two albums, and I know for a fact that you don’t respect my opinion enough to actually care what I have to say about any of that. So, I’m just not interested in going down that road. it doesn’t seem like a very productive or interesting conversation to engage in.

Now, for the love of God can we please move on?

]]>By: Jonhttp://www.engine145.com/top-10-bluegrass-albums-of-2010/#comment-413564
Fri, 31 Dec 2010 00:24:09 +0000http://www.the9513.com/?p=14329#comment-413564I stated that I generally disagreed with the classification of Up On The Ridge as bluegrass, which is a statement of opinion. That’s quite a bit different than what you said that I stated, which is that it “should not be called a bluegrass album.”

No, it’s barely different at all; in fact, that’s a distinction without a difference, especially given that you went on to reaffirm in several different ways your opinion that Up On The Ridge does not belong on a list of bluegrass albums. And every reason that you’ve given for that is bogus. So while you’re certainly entitled to your opinion, I’m equally entitled to argue that it’s a lame one – and it’s telling that, rather than make any effort to defend it in specific musical terms, you prefer dishing up a Rodney Dangerfield impersonation (only minus the comedic factor). This despite the fact that you’ve routinely dealt with country music artists and songwriters more snidely and in harsher terms than any I’ve used here.

And none of that has to do with historical vision, nor with any knowledge or expertise, historical or otherwise – at least, not any expertise to which you haven’t laid claim as a music critic. It’s all very well to pontificate about your musical acumen and the exalted role of the critic when you’re dealing with people who can’t challenge you with anything more meaningful than “u r so wrong!!!,” but if you can’t dish up any better reasons for your opinions than that yourself, your prospects aren’t very bright.

]]>By: Jim Malechttp://www.engine145.com/top-10-bluegrass-albums-of-2010/#comment-413563
Thu, 30 Dec 2010 20:35:42 +0000http://www.the9513.com/?p=14329#comment-413563I stated that I generally disagreed with the classification of Up On The Ridge as bluegrass, which is a statement of opinion. That’s quite a bit different than what you said that I stated, which is that it “should not be called a bluegrass album.” Just like in the previous example, you took my very moderate statement and subtly changed it so that it appears to express a more extreme position.

You’re a very talented debater, but I don’t really understand what you’re trying to prove here. Everyone reading this already knows that your knowledge of bluegrass and its history is superior to mine. I suppose that gives your opinion extra weight when we’re discussing matters related to bluegrass, but I’m still entitled to my opinion.

And, my opinion is that I find Up On The Ridge a more odd fit for this list than Antifogmatic. Maybe in some alternate reality where I actually thought you cared about hearing the reasons for my opinion, I would have shared them with you.

But I already know that you don’t think I’m being honest, and that you don’t think I have the historical vision to understand what we’re talking about–you’ve stated both of those positions very clearly in this comment thread. And, honestly, I’m just not interested in having a conversation about music with you, given that that’s what you think of me.